Time Lapse Video: Tibetan Monks Create Sand Mandala

Over four days in Old Chapel, the public watched as seven Tibetan monks from the Drepung Loseling Monastary painstakingly created a unique and colorful sand mandala from millions of grains of sand.

Considered a tool for re-consecrating the earth and its inhabitants, the mandala incorporated traditionally prescribed iconography and included geometric shapes as well as ancient spiritual symbols.

While the beauty of the sand mandala stands on its own, it is also a symbol of the dedication and discipline of the monks who work ceaselessly 10 hours a day to create the full image.

Upon its completion, the sand mandala was deconstructed as a metaphor for the impermanence of life.